Its going to be a soggy cold day - the 30+ centigrade heatwave is long gone, its now 6 deg C and will be raining all the way. We're ready though, wet weather kit is laid out, the bikes have been cleaned and lubed up, just leaves us to stuff our bellies at the cafe down the road and we're outa here. Its a been a great week in Missoula, but I must admit I'm beginning to feel a little like Alan Partridge holed up in this Holiday Inn ('Have you got your big plate Alan?'). I've swam to the Pacific and back in the hotel pool, Kelv's scared the housekeeping staff numerous times, we've eaten our way through the rooom service menu, watched 20 episodes of Family Guy and even become members at the local video hire shop. Time to leave I think.
Today Idaho, tomorrow Washington! (hopefully...)
7 comments:
we want pictures of you two in your slazenger sports gear!
Cool. Ride safe!
bert: read your gmail.
it's urgent!!!
Meat - you may have to wait a couple of days :(
Kelv wrote:
".....Hopefully I'll be fine tomorrow, we'll probably be off the internet for a few days though as there's not much in the valley and it'll take us a couple of days to get through it".
Just aswell you are out of Colorado tho!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1
/hi/world/americas/7415988.stm
ah sh*t.........
cheers anon
... You thought I'd gone away, didn't you!
But oh no, I'm back, with another
HISTORY LESSON!
Sorry, it's a long one. Another tale of a trail. Or maybe a trial, but here we go all the same.
There's one more trail to mention, after blog accounts of the Trail of Tears, the Oregon Trail, the Lewis & Clark Trail, the Pony Express, the California Trail and the Texas Cattle trails.
So let's start with the name. The Native American tribe Nez Perce (or Nez Percé - Pierced nose - in French) gained this name from a Lewis & Clark translator, in error. The tribe who pierced their noses lived some way to the West, and are now commonly known as Chinook, or Nimi'ipuu. Lewis and Clark referred to them as Chopunnish. So take your choice. I'll call them the Nez Perce.
Nez Perce baby
Many early travellers encountered the Nez Perce in the North West, their homelands being the Salmon, Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Some of these pioneers were explorers, but mostly they were fur-trappers and traders, seeking the elusive beaver. As you do.
Lewis and Clark first encountered them on 20 September 1805 at Weippe, Idaho. At the time the expedition members were half starving, surviving on a mixture of horse, dog, pheasant, crayfish, berries and roots. Clark commented:
The women dress in a Shirt of Ibex or Goat Skins which reach quite down to thier anckles with a girdle, their heads are not ornamented, their shirts are ornamented with quilled Brass ... Beeds, Shells & curious bones &c. The men expose those parts which are generally kept from view by other nations but the women are more perticular than any other nation which I have passed in secreting the parts.
Some years later on 15 June 1877, the Nez Perce gave up on hope for peaceful relocation, being commanded by the US army to relocate to Lapwai reservations in Idaho. Their best hope for escape and self-determination was to head for Canada, and the band of 750 or so men, women and children, and 1,500 horses began a tortuous journey of 1,200 miles through the mountains. Starting in NW Oregon, the Nez Perce headed East over the Lolo Pass to Missoula. There they turned South to Yellowstone, and then headed back North again. Pursued throughout by the 7th Cavalry, Chief Joseph and his forlorn followers eluded the army for 4 months, along the way fighting rearguard battles and scoring some victories, notably at Big Hole.
The non-treaty Nez Perce almost made it to Canada, but on the October 5th 1877 at Bear Paw , Chief Joseph surrendered to General O. O. Howard, 40 miles short of the Canadian border and safety. The Army took 418 prisoners. Only 87 were men, and half of those were injured.
After four months of pursuit Chief Joseph made his famous speech :
I am tired of fighting. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.
Later skirmishes with Native Americans followed this capitulation. Geromino surrendered in 1886 and Sitting Bull was shot at Pine Ridge in 1890. Two weeks later came the massacre at Wounded Knee.
Indian resistance was now effectively over - but the earlier symbolic weight of Chief Joseph's speech in 1877 signaled the end.
The Nez Perce Historic Trail follows this epic journey. Not all is made up and suitable to ride or walk, and so for some sections you are only able to drive nearby - but there are plans to complete the trail for Recreational modern use.
So when you return to WiFi friendly territory, heading West in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, spare a thought for the Nez Perce. A journey East not so celebrated. A journey of similar hope and aspiration in a way, but with a very different outcome.
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